Is a Couple Still Legally Married without Consummating the Marriage?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

How many days can a married couple stay married without doing sexual intercourse? Is it legally married?

Answer

Thank you for your question. There is no black and white timeline about when to consummate a marriage.

It is recommended to do so on the wedding night but by no means necessary. If a couple does not have intercourse, they are still legally married, but if they were to divorce without consummating, the rules would be a bit different.

You should communicate with your husband on this issue and see what you are both comfortable with. The nature of your question concerns me and I pray that this can be resolved. It is unnatural and frustrating to go on being married as such. The goals of marriage also will not be achieved, namely: 1) Fulfilling one’s desires in order to remain chaste and 2) Having children.

Please see this link for more details: 

Will the Angels Curse Me If I Delay My Wedding Night?

I pray that you can solve this soon and live together in happiness and tawfiq.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad 
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied Aqidah, Fiqh, Tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied Fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.